Newborn Infant

I recommend cleaning your newborn’s umbilical cord area with rubbing alcohol only once a day. I tilt the cord and use a Q-tip to apply a small amount of alcohol at the yellow base of the cord. (... more on Umbilical Cord Care)

Our 2 week olds umbilical cord fell off 3 days ago. Since then we find a very small amount of dried blood in her belly button each (... more on Umbilical Cord Bleeding)

Newborn Hepatitis B

Todays parents are flooded with information surrounding vaccines. Everyone has heard the horror stories that vaccines cause autism or other problems. This stories persist despite overwhelming medical evidence to the contrary. Vaccines are medications and all medications have risks and benefits. While nothing in life is 100% safe, I believe vaccines as a whole to be safe. (... more on the Newborn Hepatitis B Vaccine)

Feeding

Newborns typically lose weight in the first 3 or 4 days of life. A “normal” weight loss is up to 10 percent of birthweight. Most babies reach their lowest weight on day 3 or 4. Breast feeding is best and mothers who can should ... (more on feeding newborns)

Should I stop breastfeeding my 11 day old if I have a stomach bug? This is an important time to continue nursing. Formula will never be able to replicated the immune protection provided by breast milk. (... more on breastfeeding while sick)

What is that bump in the middle of my baby's chest?

The pictures to the right show an infant with a prominent xiphoid process. The xiphoid process is a bone that extends off the base of the sternum (breast bone). In newborns, the xiphoid process consists of cartilage. Everyone has a xiphoid process it is simply more protuberant in some newborns. Often new parents notice the xiphoid (... more on the Xiphoid Process)

Vitamin D supplementation

The major source for vitamin D is sunlight. Breast fed infants get vitamin D from their mother's breast milk. There is an increasing body of evidence revealing many mothers (and other adults) are vitamin D ... (more on vitamin D supplementation in newborns)

BPA or Bisphenol A is a chemical found in some plastics. Bottles had been predominantly made of these plastics. There is some concern that when heated that these plastics may release harmful chemicals. (more on BPA in bottles)

Pacifiers

I’m okay will minimal pacifier use in the first 2 weeks of life. During the first 2 weeks of breast feeding it is important for the newborn to suck on their mothers breast to stimulate milk production. After breast feeding has (more on pacifiers in newborns)

Jaundice

All babies are jaundice (yellow), but only a minority will require treatment and close monitoring. In rare cases, extreme jaundice can cause brain damage. Doctors order bilirubin tests as a measure of a newborn’s jaundice (more on jaundice in newborns)

After birth, Infants will have dark, tarry, sticky stools called meconium for 3 to 5 days. As feeding is established, the stools will gradually lighten.

Normal infant stools are the color and consistency of guacamole or seedy dijon (more on newborn stools)

Baby Cries and Turns Red to Stool

For the past couple of days when my 10 day old has a bowel movement, it seems to hurt. He scream/cries, turns bright red, kicks his legs & squirms. His stools are still soft and slightly seedy. Any ideas on (... more on Baby Cries and Turns Red to Stool)

Urine

Some newborns will have red “brick dust” colored urine. While most often this is a normal finding, it is a sign the child dehydrated. This will often occur when a newborn is 2 to 4 days old before the child is feeding well.

Breathing

While adults have regular, predictable respiratory rates infants have periodic breathing. Newborns will have several second runs of quick shallow breaths followed by long pauses. A normal newborn can pause up to 20 seconds ... (more on newborn breathing)

Wipes for Newborns

In our hospital, wipes are discouraged and wash clothes are provided. Wash clothes do seem easier to use on the initial black meconium stools. After discharge, baby wipes are fine. In the first few weeks, I would recommend a ... (more on wipes for newborns)

Should we circumcise our son?

Circumcision is a hotly debated topic. Parents often ask if I recommend circumcision. It basically comes down to personal choice. Circumcised males do have a lower incidence of urinary tract infections (UTIs) than... (more on the pros and cons of circumcision)

Circumcision care

In the immediate post-operative period, circumcision care consists of placing vaseline on the penis and close observation. It is easier to smear vaseline on the front of the diaper than drip it on the penis. After 5 to 7 days (more on circumcision care)

Baths

Newborns cannot have submersion baths until their umbilical cord falls off and is healed (and a boy’s circumcision site is healed). During these first couple of weeks if you would like to bathe your child you should sponge... (more on baths for newborns)

Fever

Fever in the first 3 months of life is an emergency. During this time a rectal temperature of 100.4 degrees or higher should trigger an immediate medical visit. Children less than 2 months old with a single... (more on fever in newborns)

Sleeping

While it is your responsibility to wake up and feed your newborn, it is likewise your responsibility to teach them to sleep. Begin by creating a loud, bright stimulating daytime where people talk and full voice, listen to (...more on sleep in newborns)

When can we let our baby sleep all night?

Our son is 2 weeks old and seems to be doing well. He was back to his birthweight at his 2 week check up. We are waking him at night to nurse, but he seems tired and wants to sleep. Does he need (... more on When can we let our baby sleep all night?)

Car seats

Children should be placed in 5 point rear facing car seats until they are at least 12 months old and 20 pounds. Most children out grow their infant carrier seat between 6 to 9 months. Car seats should indicate the maximum child size on the side of the seat. These sizes vary by model and manufacturer.

Sneezing and hiccups

Sneezing and hiccups are normal infant noises. They do not harm infants or indicate a problem.

Infant Metabolic Screen

Every state requires an infant metabolic screen often called a “PKU test”. This amounts to a heel stick drawn after birth to look for rare diseases. The test is done in the hospital 24 hours after the child’s... ( more on infant metabolic screen in newborns)

Newborn Peeling Skin

Newborns normally have dry, peeling skin. Babies that are post-dates (more than 40 weeks) often have excess peeling. Newborn skin peeling is usually most apparent at the wrists, ankles and abdomen. This will resolve on its own without lotion or medication. If you would like to apply lotion to help it improve, I would

For the first year of life, I would recommend a gentle laundry detergent. We use Dreft in our home for the baby’s clothing, sheets and towels. We do not use dryer sheets in the first year. After a year, the baby’s clothes... (more on Laundry for newborns)

When do Babies Eyes Change Color?

Typically, newborn have lighter colored eyes frequently called “baby blues”. As children age, their eye color often changes. ... (more on When do babies eye color change?)

Baby with cold hands and feet

Should I be worried about my infant son having cold clammy hands and feet ? Healthy infants will often have cold/clammy or even purple hands. These findings are thought to be due to an immature peripheral nervous (... more on baby with cold hands and feet)

Baby Ingrown Toenail

My 3 week old daughter’s big toe nail looks like it is ingrown. There is no redness or tenderness. What should we do? Newborns often appear to have ingrown toe nails. Thankfully, these rarely lead to problems. (... more on Baby Ingrown Toenail)

Baby Fingernails

Our newborn has surprisingly long nails. Can we use nail clippers so he doesn’t scratch himself? I do not recommend nail clippers for newborns. In newborns, the tips of their fingers often grows further out underneath their nails. (... more on Baby Fingernails)

Umbilical Hernias

My newborn son has a hernia in his belly button. Our Ped said it should go away on its own. Do you agree? Yes. It is very common for infants to have an umbilical hernia. Most close in the first few months of life. They can (... more on umbilical hernias)

Subconjunctival Hemorrhages (red spots in eyes)

Our newborn son has red spots in the whites of his eyes. Is this normal? When will they go away? These red spots are called subconjunctival hemorrhages. They are common in newborns and typically result (... more on Subconjunctival Hemorrhage)

Baby Acne

My 5 week old has started to get baby acne all over her face. Do I just let it run its course or is there an ointment I should apply? Neonatal acne peaks around 1 month of age. These red bumps resemble the zits of our teen (... more on baby acne)

How early can you give a baby shots?

We are planning on flying home to introduce our newborn to our families. We would like him to get his first set of vaccinations before traveling. How old does he need to be to get his 2 month old vaccines? (... more on How early can you give a baby shots?)

Gas in Newborns

Gas is common in newborns. In the first few weeks, many babies (and mothers) are learning how to feed well. Often infants swallow extra air while during nursing or bottle feeding. If not burped out, the air will come out as gas. (... more on Gas in Newborns)

Traveling with a Newborn

Our surrogate lives in Pennsylvania and we are in Texas. I only get about 2 weeks to get up to Pennsylvania once our gestational surrogate goes into labor. We need to figure out our travel plans back home. Anyway, my question about to travel back (... more on traveling with a newborn)

Newborn with Red Urine

We are concerned about finding red colored urine in our newborn’s diaper. He is 4 days old and breastfed. Is this blood? He has not been circumcised. Overall he is acting well, but we are obviously very concerned. (... more on newborn with red urine)

Newborn with Vaginal Bleeding

These are pictures of our newborn daughter’s diapers. She had a small amount of bright, red blood from her vaginal area between day of life #4 to #6. Is this (... more on Newborn with Vaginal Bleeding)

gregorygordonmd.com is intended to help parents understand the needs and behaviors of children. The information presented in the site is the opinion of Gregory Gordon, M.D.and does not reflect the opinion of his partners. This website is owned exclusively by Doctors insights LLC. The advice in this site does not apply to all children. Always consult your healthcare provider for your individual needs.